Now Is The Time To Start Applying For Benefits

GINNY JORDAN SOCIAL SECURITY

October 30, 2005|GINNY JORDAN

If you are planning to join the ranks of other retirees in 2006, now is the time to apply for Social Security retirement benefits.

We usually encourage people to let us know about three months before the month they plan to retire. So if you expect to retire in January, it's time to get started. To complete your application for retirement benefits, you can do what more than half a million people have done already -- visit our Web site at www.socialsecurity.gov/applytoretire.

The online application is more convenient than ever. By using an "electronic signature," you can safely send us your completed application over the Internet with no need to print it and mail it in. We will let you know if we need you to mail or bring in other items, such as proof of age, earnings and marriage.

So if your New Year's resolutions will focus on how to live in retirement, get an early start by applying for your Social Security retirement benefits now. You can also apply by calling us toll-free at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) or by visiting your local Social Security office. And rest assured that your retirement payments will be waiting for you on the other side of the New Year's Eve festivities.